I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automobile air freshening system preferably comprising a piezoelectric atomizer unit operating within the confines of an automobile, and a canister assembly. In particular, the invention relates to a piezoelectric atomizer unit that releases an active ingredient, such as a fragrance, deodorizer, or the like, from the canister assembly into the interior airspace of the automobile. The atomizer unit may include features such as a fragrance intensity slide switch, a programming unit, a temperature sensor, a boost override button, and any combination thereof.
II. Description of the Related Art and Problem to be Solved
Devices that release a fragrance into the interior airspace of an automobile are well known in the art. Generally, the purpose of these devices is to deodorize or impart a desired fragrance to the interior airspace.
In some systems, a device that slowly releases a fragrance into the atmosphere is placed inside the automobile. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,212 discloses that an air freshener unit is adhered to the inner surface of an automobile window and that the unit slowly releases a fragrance into the atmosphere.
Systems such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,212 have several limitations. For example, the user is not able to select when fragrance will be released from the device, nor the amount of fragrance to be released from the device. Additionally, the device does not account for fluctuations in the air temperature of the automobile. Thus, when the interior of the automobile gets warm, the interior airspace of the automobile may become suffused with too much fragrance.
The present invention is an attempt to solve the above-noted limitations of automobile air freshening systems, which release an active ingredient, such as a fragrance, deodorizer, or the like. While a number of active ingredients are contemplated, we refer to fragrances in our discussion of the preferred embodiments, for explanatory purposes.